Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

[Fusion1]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

I've got a few Teles 2 MIM's and a Peavey Generation S2, and my beater that I've become pretty fond of my Yamica Pacifica Tele that's been affectionately named Yamica. The MIM's have Hot rails in the bridge of both a Duncan Vintage tele neck in one and a twang king neck in the other. THe PEavey has stock Peavey active pickups hum bridge and single coil neck (Not a traditional tele in any sense of the word especially with the Kahler Spyder trem), and the Yamica has GFS rails pickups in neck and bridge.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

Yeah I once read that Hot Rails were really popular amongst blues players...my man Drew Half Empty called it the 'Les Paul Killer' when he had a Tele with hot rails. I've always wanted to try that set-up but I already get pretty good heavy humbucker tone...

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

the pups you are talking about arent humbuckers so you cant split (or coil cut, same thing) them and dont have multiple hot leads so there isnt a tapped option.

the series wiring is kinda cool and might be worth considering. it only effects the sound when both pups are on and gives a fatter higher output version of the traditional two pup sound. you can use a mini switch or push/pull pot to select parallel (standard wiring) or series. there is also a 4 way tele switch that gives you both series and parallel options as well as each pup individually and is probably the way to go if you want the series option.

well i knew I couldnt split them like humbuckers, but I have heard of people "tapping" into the "middle" of the coil winds for different tones (didnt know if this was possible or not for this, but I heard this sounded good on a Tele, but I dont know what pickups they were using; just assuming they were stock). I think that 4 way switch it what I'm looking for.... how hard is it to do, I dont remember seeing a diagram for it on SD's list

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

well i knew I couldnt split them like humbuckers, but I have heard of people "tapping" into the "middle" of the coil winds for different tones (didnt know if this was possible or not for this, but I heard this sounded good on a Tele, but I dont know what pickups they were using; just assuming they were stock). I think that 4 way switch it what I'm looking for.... how hard is it to do, I dont remember seeing a diagram for it on SD's list

that kind of tap needs to be done by the pickup-maker while he's making the pickup. The only way to do this to a pickup is to unwind it to the point you want to tap, put a wire out from there, then wind it back all the way and put a wire out from there...which is like, hard, i think.

I'd only do that with a high-output pickup...if you're tappin a 6 or 7k pickup down to like 3k i mean............that's too quiet.

 

[Johnny Nightslayer]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

Well, I got my MIM tele for $250, and then I spent $100 on an APII neck humbucker. Should be installing it soon. I don't know how it will sound though. I'm debating an SH-11 CC bucker in the bridge but I may go with a vintage style bucker though.

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

any votes for a mini-humucker in the neck over the traditional single coil? Will this make the neck "more useful?" Ive heard from many people that the standard single in the neck is virtually useless

 

[jeremy]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

a firebird pup in the neck is a great sound and will give you a killer blues tone. that said a ssl2 or aps2 strat pup is also a great tone for blues and should only require pickguard modification where the mini may require some body routing. if you wanna go that route then by all means go for it.

to tap a pup you need to buy a pup with multiple hot leads. the jd tele pup is not available that way and it wouldnt make much sense to do it since it is only a 7k pup.

the 4 way switching isnt too complicated and is probably worth doing.

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

a firebird pup in the neck is a great sound and will give you a killer blues tone. that said a ssl2 or aps2 strat pup is also a great tone for blues and should only require pickguard modification where the mini may require some body routing. if you wanna go that route then by all means go for it.

Here's anotehr alternative I've pondered; how would a Lipstick Tube fit in there? That would be way cool...
If thats not realistic, how MUCH pickgaurd modification would a Strat pickup require? Could it be done with just a little sand paper and a jigsaw very easily?
How much do you think a Luthier would charge for body routing for a mini-humbucker?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

the lipstick would require about as much work as a strat pup i think. not sure, lipsticks arent my thing

yes you could do the strat pup mod to the guard with a jig saw and sandpaper. you are talking about maybe 1/4" on the ends and maybe 1/8" on the sides of the hole.

the rout is pretty simple but i have no idea how much someone would charge.

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

the lipstick would require about as much work as a strat pup i think. not sure, lipsticks arent my thing

yes you could do the strat pup mod to the guard with a jig saw and sandpaper. you are talking about maybe 1/4" on the ends and maybe 1/8" on the sides of the hole.

the rout is pretty simple but i have no idea how much someone would charge.

Well I've never heard Lipsticks, so I dont know, I just thought it'd be pretty cool.
For another possibility, how would the Hot Tele neck match up with a JD?
And as far as the strat pickup, since you have to modify the holes and such by so much, doesnt that mean that the pole spacings and stuff are different (I dont know, just inquiring..)?
As another possibility (though I'd rather not have fancy modern stuff) how well do those Tele humbuckers shoved into stand Tele pickup casings sound? Anything near a Mini? What exactly would you do with the 450 or so to make this as bluesy as possible with no fancy modern junk on it?

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

and on another sudden question (i'm really sorry about this, these questions are probably very annoying for you) would sticking a strat pickup in the neck require ANY body modification? Because I just reralized that I can by a new pickguard for it that has a pre-routed Strat (or even humbucker, P90, etc) hole in it, and i was planning on replacing it anyways. i wonder how a p90 would sound in one of these... i havent seen too much of that

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

$400 for the ultimate bluesy Tele? I'd just get a MIM Telecaster, maybe put a P-Rail set in it if it was gonna be my only guitar and I needed diversity...

 

[jeremy]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

a strat pup should fit in the rout without modification and string spacing shouldnt be an issue. for anything else youll probably have to rout.

if it was my $450, id find a good used mexi tele put 250k cts pots, a .022 orange drop cap, a 4 way switch, a jd in the bridge and an aps2 pup in the neck and call it a day

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

a strat pup should fit in the rout without modification and string spacing shouldnt be an issue. for anything else youll probably have to rout.

if it was my $450, id find a good used mexi tele put 250k cts pots, a .022 orange drop cap, a 4 way switch, a jd in the bridge and an aps2 pup in the neck and call it a day

Or maybe a Vintage Rhythm for Tele...the neck pickup used with the Broadcaster Lead. You wouldn't have to mod your guitar at all. The aps2 is a cool pickup though...but it's a Strat pickup and will require either altering your pickguard or buying a new pickguard.

Lew

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

Or maybe a Vintage Rhythm for Tele...the neck pickup used with the Broadcaster Lead. You wouldn't have to mod your guitar at all. The aps2 is a cool pickup though...but it's a Strat pickup and will require either altering your pickguard or buying a new pickguard.

Lew

so it will require buying a new pickguard (i can buy one pre-routed and i was gonna buy one anyways), but i wont need any body modification right? If it does, I think I'll just go ahead and get the mini-humbucker

and thanks to all who replied, its helping me alot becuase I have literally no previous knowledge about Teles other than their body shape is awesome

 

[eggman]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

Howdy,

If you are determined to change P/Us, go ahead. With a good MIM Tele, I would make sure I had a low watt tube amp more than new P/Us. I think a stock MIM Tele is all you really need.
Just some friendly advice: Consider a 70s Fender Champ, Deluxe Reverb or other good low wattage tube amp as your next purchase after the MIm Tele. Good luck.
Perhaps you already have a good tube amp?

Eggman

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Ultimate Blues Tele on a Budget

Howdy,

If you are determined to change P/Us, go ahead. With a good MIM Tele, I would make sure I had a low watt tube amp more than new P/Us. I think a stock MIM Tele is all you really need.
Just some friendly advice: Consider a 70s Fender Champ, Deluxe Reverb or other good low wattage tube amp as your next purchase after the MIm Tele. Good luck.
Perhaps you already have a good tube amp?

Eggman

no I have a MG series Marshall :naughty:
actually no, those things are horribly crappy hahaha just kidding about that
actually I have a customized Epi Valve Junior Stack (EL84 and 12AX7), and a Vox Valvetronix (two stages of 12AX7); which is what I mostly play through because I'm in college, I cant exactly "crank it")

But how much I would kill for to get a '59 Bassman or an old Vibroverb. I do hope to have a Deluxe Reverb in the future though (realistically speaking because those other two arent)

I would keep it stock, but I dont like the sound of the stock ceramic junk (and most stock pickups are crap anyways). I'll at least change out the bridge. After all these responses and some thought, I want to put a Seymourized Mini Humbucker in the neck, but I'll probably end up just put in a Tele Hot instead for financial reasons